Lady Grey
by Malfoylicious
Summary: An elusive character, shrouded in mystery, her history suddenly becomes crystal clear. Her history and why she haunts the halls of Hogwarts, mourning for the only love she ever had. OneshotWRITTEN BEFORE DH, PLEASE NOTE THAT!


**Lady Grey**

One day, I was floating down the steps, not walking, floating. A group of students charged down the Great Staircase and one ran through me. We both shook. Him with cold, for moving through a ghost was like getting drenched in icy-cold water, me with pain. For us ghosts, someone going through us was like having a sharp, silver sword thrust through you, then pulled out again.

The boy looked back and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Lady Grey!" He was a Ravenclaw; they were the only ones whom noticed me any more. All the rest just saw Sir Nicholas De Mimsy-Porpington and the Baron.

I didn't mind Nicholas; sweet, kind Nicholas, but I utterly despised the Baron. The 'Bloody Baron' as the children called him was just that. Bloody. 'Bloody by name, and bloody by nature' as my father would say.

He was covered in blood, I never heard exactly how, but the rumours say that he had killed his wife and then killed himself to escape being caught. He was a bloody idiot! A bloody pompous idiot! A bloody, pompous, arroga -! No, I won't talk ill of the dead!

Nicholas now, 'Nick' as I affectionately called him, I loved him. He was so kind to all, so generous! We met down by the river, oh, years and years ago. Crossing the bridge I caught sight of him astride a proud white stallion…

Or rather… the truth…

I was walking over the bridge with my sisters. He was around twelve; I was ten. He was learning to ride. His was only a little pony. The only thing big about it was it's mane and trail, both which trailed on the ground.

He saw us and began to show off. Nick stood up on the horse and cantered towards us. When he got near, he tried to jump off while the horse was still moving. He fell to the ground and was winded.

My sisters and I flicked our long, loose hair back over our shoulders and walked on. We stepped over him on the way. He looked up at me and smiled. Instinctively, I smiled back.

Nick never left me alone after that. He was constantly coming around to the Manor, asking for me to come out. At fourteen, I was so desperate for him to leave me alone, that I cut off all my silky, brown hair, leaving only stubble.

Unfortunately, it didn't work. I only got a beating from my father. I suppose in a way, I deserved it. It took a year for my hair to grow back.

I loved going to Hogwarts, even though it meant seeing him. I was put into Ravenclaw as I had a quick and witty mind. My teachers and professors loved me, as I behaved and always did my homework correctly. I was 'a model of good behaviour' as I was told often!

At fifteen, I was chosen to be the female Ravenclaw prefect. I was ecstatic! The only thing was that Nick was Head Boy. He still yearned for me even though I had purposely shorn my head to defer him. My hair was down to my mid-back at this stage, a few hands short of where it used to be.

The Head Girl, a Gryffindor like Nick, hated me. Her hair was always tangled, greasy and knotted. I don't mean this in a bad way but she squinted and had lots of freckles. She was envious of my pale, unblemished skin, and my silky-soft hair.

That and the fact that Nick liked me, not her.

She always tried to ignore me, only speaking to me when she was giving out jobs. I always got the worst ones: 'Cleaning the Hallways', 'Minding the First Years' and such-like. She of course got the easy jobs. 'Helping the Professors' and 'Deciding on Passwords'.

It was actually because of her that I kissed him. Nick.

She had forced me to clean the dressing rooms after the Quidditch Finals. It had been a muddy, wet, windy day and I had cleaned them to the best of my ability. When I showed her, she said it wasn't clean enough. To add injury to insult, she went outside, picked up a clod of dirt and dropped it on the ground.

Smiling sweetly, she said, "you missed a spot."

I was just about to throttle her when Nick walked in. He had obviously been standing outside listening as he glared coldly at his fellow Head and said, "I think Colette has done a good enough job with the cleaning. I'm sure that she wants to go back to her dormitory and celebrate with her house." He turned to me. "Colette, you can go. Thank you."

I smiled sincerely at him and walked over to him. I slowly pulled his face down to meet mine, then kissed him softly. He placed his hands on my back and drew me close.

We stayed like that for a moment or two, then broke apart. I looked around: we were alone. The Head Girl had stormed off.

Nick was staring at me with a half-smile on his face. "Wow…" he whispered. I leant in close to him, buried my face in his shoulders. "I don't know why I've been trying to stop you for years," I said gazing up at him. "I was wrong. I do like you."

"Pity you didn't realise earlier," he smiled back at me. He leant down again and kissed me once more.

As he ran his fingers through my hair, I felt a bubble of excitement well up within me. As it overflowed and burst, I thought happily to myself: _My first kiss over and done with!_

Suddenly I broke away from Nick and ran from the dressing room, up towards the Castle._ NICK! _My mind screamed. _My first kiss with NICK!_

I could hear him calling after me, which just made me run faster. I got to the Castle, flew up the steps, when I got to the second floor, I skidded to a halt in front of a suit of armour and breathlessly cried "Brancheau!"

The suit slowly moved his shield, revealing an open door. I jumped through and slammed the door behind, in Nick's distraught face.

The noise in the Common Room dropped as everyone turned to stare at the spectacle that had just ran into the room. I screamed angrily at them, "Oh! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

I sprinted down to my dormitory, and flung myself onto my bed. It was only then that I allowed myself to sob. I covered my face with my velvet pillow and tried to hide, to banish all thoughts of him.

I heard someone come into the room; I curled up into a ball, hoping that she would go away.

"Oh, Colette," the girl said sadly. It was my sister, Mellanie. She sat down on the bad beside me, placed a hand on my shaking shoulder. I tried to shrug it off but couldn't.

"You kissed him, didn't you?"

I nodded into my pillow, wishing I could die. "It'll be okay. It's not that bad."

I sat up on the bed, my eyes ablaze. "Not that bad? Hah! What do you know?" That said and done, I stuck my head under the pillow again.

"What do I know? Colette, I'm your older sister, I know quite a lot about boys and kissing!" she laughed. "I promise you, everyone will have forgotten about it by next week."

"Nick won't have. He got what he wanted, that's the only reason he kissed me."

"NO! Colette! It's not. If that were so, he wouldn't have followed you all the way back. Upstairs he is yelling at the Armour because he cannot get in with out the password."

I sat up again. This time smiling. "Really?" Melanie nodded. "Maybe I should go down?"

"You owe it to him, not to mention yourself. Just get changed, wash your face, brush your hair and then you'll be ready!" Melanie got up and moved to leave. I stopped her.

"Mel? Thanks." She smiled and left.

I went downstairs, dressed in a deep-blue dress. I had my hair pulled back into a braid. Nick was still banging on the door. I opened it and moved the shield back. He stopped in mid-bang.

"Colette!"

I smiled hopefully at him and asked him would he come for a walk. He nodded and we left.

I came back into the Common Room again. The only people there were Melanie and Peggy, my younger sister. Melanie had obviously told her what had happened.

Melanie stood up and her eyes told me she wanted to know what had happened. I grinned at them. "Guess who had got herself a boyfriend!"

"Oh!"

"I cannot believe this!"

"I know!" I laughed. "I'm so happy." Melanie nodded and said "I'm really glad for you."

I didn't get to spend too much time with Nick as we were both studying hard, him for his N.E.W.T.S. and me for my O.W.L.s. We still tried to steal every moment we could.

I can remember vividly one evening, in June probably. We were down by the lake, sitting under the trees. Nick was telling me what he wanted to do after he left Hogwarts.

"Colette, I want to be a soldier. A general riding into battle on his trusty steed…!"

"Isn't that what the Muggles do?"

"I don't care! I have always wanted to be a soldier, ever since I was little. I know it means I shall be away from you for a long time, but I will come back, I will."

I smiled uneasily.

The next year, Nick done what he said and joined up. He was sent for training for a large battle that was happening somewhere. I didn't know where as I daydreamed whenever Nick starting talking about fighting.

He came back a year later. He was only nineteen but he looked around forty. His hair was greying, he had wrinkles and he limped. I was horrified.

"Nick! What happened?"

It turned out that the fighting was wearing him out, he was ageing quickly. His limp had been caused by a sword slash to the leg, nearly severing his foot. The only thing that hadn't changed was his chatty, jovial manner.

Two years after that, I was married.

I hated my father, as it was him that forced me to marry someone else. Someone who wasn't Nick.

My husband was very rich, a cousin to the King. He paid my father a large sum of money for my hand-in-marriage.

When Nick found out, he wouldn't see me and went back to battle. He looked even worse and I feared for him. Three years later, he was captured and his head was cut off.

When I heard the news, I locked myself in my Chamber and wouldn't come out, nor would I let anyone in. I slowly died, heart broken. I died alone, my unborn child and myself.

I came back as a ghost, hoping Nick would be one too. I went to Hogwarts, knowing that he would be there. He was but wouldn't speak to me, avoiding me.

He managed to avoid me for six hundred years. He spoke to me only when he was forced to. It sadly reminded me of the Head Girl who had hated me. I couldn't leave Hogwarts, by staying there for so long, I became bound to it.

I saw the entire Head Masters and Head Mistresses. I saw their happiness at being chosen; I saw their deaths. With each one I grew sadder, more unhappy.

I saw the greatest Head Master that Hogwarts ever had: Albus Dumbledore. I saw his death and could do nothing to stop it. I saw his reluctant successor – Minervia McGonagall – I saw her fight for the school that had, like me, become her home.

After Dumbledore's death, Lord Voldemort rose against the school once more. When He launched a final attack, every student, teacher, every creature in the Forest, the Lake, every Ghost, was asked to help defend. Most did it gladly, happily. Proudly.

Except for me.

I alone hid away, cowered from the fight. Even the Friar, whom it was against his nature to fight, fought. I didn't. I had seen what happened when people fought, and I was afraid.

I alone watched while the school burned to the ground.

I alone watched while people were killed.

I alone hate myself.

I alone lost my love three times: once, when I married against my will, twice when he died, thrice when he perished fighting for his home.

I am the Lady Grey…


End file.
